Hi everyone…Nicole here to bring you the winner of our Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge {Three} winner!

First, I just wanted to say how totally and completely blown away I am by all the layouts entered! It has been so fun to see how everyone has taken this template and made it their own.  You can see all of the layouts HERE!  Thank you to all who entered, I truly hope that you enjoyed using it.

Without further ado, I would like to announce the winner of the $25 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe! Our template challenge ‘winner’ is chosen by a random number generator – we just think that makes it fun and fair for EVERYONE who participates (and allows for the extra entries that we offer)!

CONGRATULATIONS, jschear!  You should already have an email with your gift card info :o)  Your layout is so sweet! I hope you enjoying shopping and that you will share the layouts you create with your new goodies from the shoppe!

Thanks again to all who played along.  Be on the lookout for our next challenge coming soon!  Have a wonderful day!!

NicoleShoppe News, Template Challenges, Uncategorized 2 Comments

Hello again!! It’s Beckie, back to bring you another photography tip!  We’ve said here several times before that photography is all about finding and using light.  Well, what if it just isn’t there where you need it?  There are several solutions to this problem, ranging in complexity from studio lighting to simple flash, but today we’re going to start with something WAY more low-tech.  And more cost effective!  We’re talking reflectors!

The idea is simple:  use a movable surface to reflect and diffuse light onto your subject exactly when and where you need it.  It’s SUPER cheap – in fact, all the examples below were created with simple foam core!  You can use posterboard, too!  Or, if you prefer, you can purchase a reflector from any camera supply store.  They start at under $10 and go up from there (in price and complexity, LOL!).

So – why use a reflector?  Well, let’s look at an example!  Here’s a photo of my daughter, taken mid-day when the sun was harsh.  We escaped to the porch to set up this shot, where the lighting was not direct and we were able to avoid the harsh mid-day shadows.  All in all, not a bad photo (oh, and please excuse the goofy faces – she was in the mood to be silly! :) )

But with the addition of a reflector, notice the subtle but effective changes in my second shot:

The lighting on her face is more even and consistent.  Her skin is brighter and the lighting is “whiter”, removing the color cast from the shadows of the porch  (both of these photos are straight from the camera with no editing).  Also notice the change in the catchlights of her eyes.  The first photo does have the catchlights from the bright sky behind me as I took the photo, but in the second shot there’s a big beautiful catchlight from the reflector we used.

So how do you set up a shot with a reflector?

Just like the photo above!  It helps to have a trusty photographer’s assistant (in this case, my nephew LOL!).  But it’s as simple as wiggling the reflector around until it creates the lighting effect you’re after.  You might need to adjust your settings once the light is reflected onto your subject (in some cases the lighting increases dramatically!), so be sure to check your meter before you start shooting.

Here’s another example, my daughter sitting on a cool old truck in the pasture behind my parent’s house.  An afternoon rain passed through, then we had several hours of cloudy skies.  We had a fun mini photo shoot, but when I got back and loaded the pictures I was disappointed to realize that there were shadows on her face:

Since the car was properly exposed, and because it is such a significant part of the shot I was going for, I knew I didn’t have a metering problem on my hand.  It was the lighting!   So we pulled out the reflector (again, our sheet of foam core) and set out again to take some more shots.

We re-positioned her slightly to get the best upward reflection of the available light from our foam core and snapped more photos.  The light from our reflector fills in the shadows below her eyes and her neck just perfectly!

A  few other considerations:

• As we mentioned, a reflector is a wonderful way to introduce catchlights when shooting portraits.  You could easily use a round sheet of paper to get circular catch lights in the eyes of your subject! Go with what you like best.
• Commercially available reflectors offer several colors of reflective surface.  A gold reflective surface casts a warmer light on your subject.  Silver is considered neutral just like a white surface, but metallic silver will be brighter than what you get with white.
• Clearly my foam core isn’t a very portable reflector :).  In fact, I actually own a “real” reflector that I purchased on-line, but I was on vacation and left the reflector at home.  So I improvised!  and it worked just fine.  The benefit of my purchased reflector is that it folds up and is way more portable than a big sheet of foam core.  It’s also “triple” sided so I can quickly and easily see the difference between gold, silver, and white surfaces lighting  my subject.  I do tend to use plain old white the most :)

Well, I hope you learned something here that you might be able to incorporate in your own photography!  Next time you’re indoors shooting, try using a reflector on the ground (or resting against your lap) to see if it can help you get that extra bit of light – not to mention catchlight in the eyes – to really make your portrait pop!

Have a wonderful week! Oh, and be sure to stop by tomorrow as we’ll be announcing our template challenge winner!  And Lu just might be sneaking around with a new Thursday Thievery :)

BeckiePhotography, Uncategorized 8 Comments

Hi everyone!  Beckie here bringing you this week’s Product Spotlight – Wild Love!  It is on sale for $4.88, this week only! 

I’ve had this kit for quite some time – it was among the first kits I purchased from the Shabby Shoppe!  I have to say that I reach for this alpha time and time again – the black and cream is so versatile!  The collection of papers is so eclectic, too – from the sophisticated damasks to the fun and whimsical doodled flowers, there are papers perfect for any occasion.  I love the metal fasteners and the tiny jewelry tag, too – more elements that I use all the time!  And finally the COLORS…vintage cream cardstock, aqua, red, purple and green – all perfectly accented by that fun (and WILD) animal print!  

Here’s a look at the layout I created with Wild Love.  I did add a simple splash of pink by using a stamp from the Sprout collection, but everything else is Wild Love!  

And how about a little more inspiration from the Shabby Artists?  Check out these gorgeous layouts!  I love how each layout is so completely different! 

I hope you enjoyed getting re-acquainted with Wild Love – and if this is your first introduction to this gorgeous collection – I hope it was LOVE at first sight!  :)  Don’t forget that you can Pick it up this week ON SALE for only $4.88!

BeckieProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Hey ya’ll, it’s Lu again, and this week I wanted to share some inspiration from interior design. My favorite (residential) design style is a  relaxed eclectic or “collected” look. With interiors, that may mean years of patiently waiting until you come upon the exact piece of whatever (furniture, rugs, accessories, etc.) that you envision to complete a room (who hasn’t done that??).  Although in my personal experience, a space is never complete, lol!  I get a great deal of inspiration from “home” magazine features. The image below particulary caught my attention for a few key reasons, the mix-n-match aspect and the composition. My eye was immediatley drawn to the bold wallcovering as the room’s “theme”, contrasted with the crisp white quilt & accented by the small-scale supporting fabrics. And although it’s a “formula” that I have often practiced, I thought it might be fun to dissect the image & use it for inspiration on a layout!

Thankfully, it takes comparatively little time to pull together a “mix-n-match” layout… just a little imagination to think outside of the “kit” so to speak! You might ask, with beautiful kits already perfectly coordinated, why would you want to mix and match? For me, the answer is two-fold: 1) sometimes, as wonderful as a kit may be, it may not have all the necessary pieces you desire for a layout, and 2) I personally feel that mixing & matching can add depth  and interest to a layout. I know that whenever I look in the gallery & I see how others have used a combination of kits, I am always very inspired by their creativity. So with that in mind, I used the above image for inspiration to create a layout. Although I chose another color palette to work with, I did try to use a few elements from the original photo. I used an allover pattern for my background, layered a paper to mimic the headboard shape, used a solid neutral to create a focal area and added an “accent” paper  (much like you would  throw pillows) to reinforce the color scheme. Then I threw on my “accessories” to complete the look! I challenged myself to use a different kit for every item and I’m sure that I could have done it, with some restraint (I struggle at times with that concept)! But there are just so many wonderful options, I ended up using a few things (okay, several) from quite a variety of different kits. Here is what I came up with:

 Here is my product (credit) list:

• Wild Love- background paper, accent paper behind photo, alpha
• Barefoot- green paper
• Clementine- black button, heart stitch
• Sweetie Pie- heart with safety pin
• Sprout- key, photo ribbon wrap, damask stamp, ivory lace (yeah, I have a hard time saying “no” to Sprout)
• Damask & Dots- aqua flower
• Modish Girl- floral swirl
• Gigglebox- greenery and phrase strip
• Yours Truly- lobster clip
• An Affair to Remember- aqua sequins
• Summer Cottage- red embroidery stitch
• Sandbox- aqua label tab

For me, it’s a bit like a treasure hunt (both for interiors & digi-scrapping). I enjoy the “thrill of the hunt” almost as much as the finished product! Software such a ACDsee can help organize your digi-supplies & make “mix-n-matching” almost effortless! If you’re interested in learning more about that program, here is the webpage focusing just on digital scrappers. Although I personally have not used that program, with a growing digi-stash & an aging recall ability, lol, I might just seriously consider it!

Above all- whether the eclectic style is yours or not- remember that inspiration can come from anywhere! Just a little confession… until SP’s post on Ad Inspiration, I  had not consciously considered ad layouts as a source of inspiration! Now, I truly scrutinize every page, lol! An open mind is the source of creativity, I believe. If I’ve inspired you today, please let us know… better yet, show us a layout with the challenge to use a different kit for every item! (Remember to credit the kits, as you just never know who you’ll inspire)! I think you’ll be pleased with the result… Until next time, Happy Scrappin’!

LuBeauty & Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Hi everyone! Beckie here to bring you this week’s selection for Layout of the Week!

I swear, every time I look through the gallery I take notes (literally – in my little scrapping ideas notepad!) of topics to scrap, techniques to try, or layouts to lift.  I just LOVE all of the incredible layouts filling the gallery with so much inspiration!  I had a hard time this week, as always.  SO MANY of you are just rockin’ the template challenge!!  And wow, so many of you have really awesome photos in your layouts, too…great job with those cameras!! :)

In the end – I was drawn back to Just Goofin’ Around by aoppatt time and time again.  The whole layout just makes me happy!!   The photo itself just oozes with attitude.  I mean, check out those huge glasses and that crooked tongue.  And look at little Jordan in the back, striking her own funky pose! This really is one of those photos that speaks a thousand words, LOL!  And seriously, I just can’t get enough Hopscotch.  I SWEAR I didn’t pick a Hopscotch layout on purpose, but how perfect are these fun bright colors with such a goofy picture?!

I love the way she used shadow techniques to create the illusion of depth on her layout – as though some of the letters and embellishments are sticking out farther than the others.  Be sure to check out aoppatt’s gallery to see the rest of her wonderful layouts!

I love those spontaneous little moments in life that make us smile…and I love aoppatt’s little tribute to one such moment in her life.  Congrats on this week’s LOTW – a $10 Shoppe gift card has been emailed to you!

So keep those layouts coming everyone!!  The gallery is looking AWESOME!

We’ll see you back here on Monday, with a wonderful and inspiring post by Lu :o)

BeckieLayout of the Week, Uncategorized 4 Comments